Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Jimmy's Pancake House

The best meal of the day, by far, is breakfast. The food is rich, heavy, and full of added sugars, but you have the whole day to work it off. Anytime I hear of a place that serves breakfast all day, I begin to salivate and daydream of eggs, crispy bacon, and syrup drenched pancakes. Obviously a place named Jimmy's Pancake House really got my engine running as I envisioned a flapjack heaven run by a friendly, slightly overweight guy in a paper hat.

I finally got to see what it was really like after a late morning doctor's appointment and ultrasound where I discovered that the baby girl in my belly was craving a greasy mess. So we headed into Bettendorf and found the small cafe on 18th street.

Jimmy's is very clean and very green inside. Like, literally, bright green. We found an empty table and received prompt drink service. The waitresses seemed to know all of the other patrons. Pretty soon, they'll be yelling RICHIE! when we walk in and a witty exchange about HT customers will ensue.
The majority of Jimmy's menu is breakfast. That's what I like to see. At a pancake house, you most definitely want to try the pancakes, even if they make your stomach swell and arms itch. So I ordered poached eggs with ham, hashbrowns and blueberry pancakes.

Can't really complain or rave about the eggs. They always taste the same. The ham was thick cut and lightly fried. Hashbrowns were plentiful, light, and fluffy. They were a departure from the usual diner style nests of grease. However, I prefer the crispy greasy potato piles.

Richie went all out with a Mexican skillet. Covered with scrambled eggs, the skillet smuggled in chorizo, onions, peppers, salsa, and hashbrowns. Based on his empty plate,I'm going to guess that he enjoyed the spicy breakfast explosion. But no worries, he left room for the mini mound of pancakes and syrup.
So what about the piece de resistance, pancakes?! I would deem Jimmy's Pancake House to be worthy of their name. The flapjacks were classic beige cushions with a slight sweetness from a dusting of powdered sugar. Mine were delicately dotted with an ample amount of fresh tart blueberries. We both flooded our plates with maple syrup, though they may have offered other flavors, I was too enamored to ask.

The pancakes were the perfect shade of golden brown, and the texture was delicate and spongy. Pretty much what God's pancakes would taste like in heaven.

In a few years, the griddle will be nice and broken in and Jimmy's will get that homey coffee smell ingrained in the walls. Then it will become an official greasy joint. For now, it is a pleasant cafe with hearty breakfasts and fresh lunches. But be prepared to wait for a table!

1 comment:

Jimmy's is very good - have eaten there many times. Lots of food for a good price. Another place I'd like to suggest is Lee's on 14th in Rock Island. Look for an upcoming blog entry on Road Tips (www.roadtips.typepad.com) in a couple weeks on Lee's on 14th. Very similar to Jimmy's only with outrageous burgers.